“Dari apa yang kudeduce, sangat besar kemungkinan Meghna Kurlieva dan Galexentre Balfors memiliki hubungan yang lebih dekat dan pribadi di masa lalu, berbeda dengan kondisi mereka sekarang.”
Tangan Yuder yang sedang kebiasaan menggerakkan untuk memotong sepotong kue tiba-tiba beku.
“Kamu bilang rumor yang disebutkan Sunz itu benar?”
“Ya. Tapi hubungan mereka tidak sama sekarang. Dan Balfors, pria itu...”
Kishiar menaruh tangannya di atas tangan Yuder yang terhenti, menumpuk-kannya, lalu tertawa pelan.
“Dia pasti seorang mata-mata. Aku benar-benar yakin.”
“Seorang mata-mata? Bagaimana kamu bisa begitu yakin...”
“Shh. Tunggu sebentar.”
Kishiar mengunculkan mata, menggoda, menyimpan kalimatnya. Jari-jemarannya yang panjang dengan cepat halus mengarahkan tangan Yuder. Setelah tepat memotong kue menjadi sepotong yang pas dimakan dengan mulutnya, Kishiar akhirnya mengeluarkan tangannya.
“Sekarang, tidak perlu terburu-buru. Aku akan menjelaskan, jangan khawatir.”
Yuder mulai mengunyah kue dengan agak sepihak, sementara Kishiar melanjutkan penjelasannya.
“Apakah kamu masih ingat para tentara bayaran yang tewas berusaha mencuri Batu Merah pada operasi pengambilan sebelumnya?”
“Ya, ingat. Aku tidak tahu siapa yang mempekerjakannya, tapi mereka tampak sangat siap.”
“Klien yang mengatur misi itu merekrut para tentara bayaran yang agak tak gentar karena kekuatan Awakeners, di rekrut dari luar negeri. Ia memiliki cukup informasi internal untuk dengan mudah menembus pengamanan Tentara Selatan di sekitar gunung dan mengirim mereka ke tempat Batu Merah berada. Di samping itu, ia mengambil langkah untuk membuat para tentara bayaran mengucapkan sumpah bahkan sumpah ganda, menunjukkan teliti dalam hal ini.”
“Ya, meskipun displininerendah para pemain reguler Tentara Selatan cukup longgar pada saat itu, kenyataan mereka bisa bertahan di gunung selama beberapa hari tanpa terdeteksi memang luar biasa. Pada saat itu, Kaisar dan aku mencurigai bahwa orang yang memerintah mereka pasti seseorang di dalam militer, pasti orang yang berpangkat tinggi.”
“Berarti... apakah itu berarti tentara bayaran juga mencurigai tentara bayaran?”
Pertanyaan yang cukup berhati-hati dari Yuder, Kishiar mengangguk tanpa ragu.
“Tentu saja. Kenapa kapten Gino harus dikecualikan? Saat itu, ia gagal memerhatikan pelanggaran dalam pengamanan Tentara Selatan selama beberapa hari, tidak dapat mengidentifikasi jejak mereka dengan akurat dan bukti siapa yang berada di balik mereka. Dari sudut pandang kepercayaan, sulit untuk yakin apakah ini kekeliruan semata atau pengkhianatan yang disamarkan sebagai kesalahan.”
Yuder sepertinya melihat sekilas tantangan banyak yang harus dihadapi Kaisar Keilusa dan Kishiar dalam perjalanan mereka di pernyataan itu.
Walaupun situasinya layak untuk dicurigai, nama Gino Bodelli bukan sesuatu yang bisa dianggap remeh. Bukan sekadar tentara bayaran biasa di Tentara Selatan; ia adalah seorang master pedang yang dihormati di seluruh Kerajaan dan benua.
Akan berbahaya untuk menunjukkan curiga terhadap seseorang yang tidak mencari keuntungan pribadi, telah melayani Kaisar dengan setia dan menjadi panutan yang baik untuk pasukannya. Langkah ini berpotensi mengasingkan salah satu dari sedikit sekali aliansi yang dimiliki Kaisar.
Jika master pedang yang dihormati global sekaligus legenda hidup seperti Jenderal Gino menyampaikan keluhannya dan membolos dari keluarga kekaisaran, akan menjadi kesempatan yang baik bagi empat keluarga Adipati Agung dan fraksi bangsawan yang tidak ramah terhadap keluarga kekaisaran.
“Jadi... apa yang terjadi?”
Mata Yuder tajam bertanya. Namun, tidak sesuaian dengan tajamnya pandangannya, bagian bawah wajahnya yang terus mengambil sepotong kue secara mekanis kekurangan kedinginannya yang biasa.
Kishiar tidak bisa tidak tersenyum melihat adegan di hadapannya.
“Seperti yang bisa kamu lihat dari kenyataan bahwa Gino masih baik-baik saja, investigasi kami menyimpulkan bahwa Gino Bodelli itu sendiri tidak bersalah. Namun, ada kemungkinan besar bahwa seseorang di bawahnya mungkin berkhianat,” ujurnya.
Kishiar dan Kaisar Keilusa menduga seseorang ini harus cukup dekat dengan Jenderal Gino untuk tahu tentang operasi pengambilan Batu Merah yang mendadak.
Namun, meskipun kami memberitahu Jenderal Gino tentang kecurigannya dan menyelidiki secara menyeluruh di dalam Tentara Selatan, kami tidak dapat menemukan pengkhianatnya.
“Gino merasa itu sangat keras. Dia mungkin bahkan mempertimbangkan untuk pensiun karena hal ini.”
“Jika pengkhianat tersebut adalah salah satu dari deputasinya, pensiunnya akan menjadi cara terbaik untuk mengguncang mereka,” komentar Yuder.
“Ya. Setidaknya, ada dua implikasi bagi kita. Pertama, pengkhianat yang memberi informasi kepada para tentara bayaran cukup terampil untuk menipu mata Gino. Kedua, terlalu berbahaya untuk memiliki seseorang seperti itu dalam peringkat kita. Jadi, kita...”
Kishiar mengunculkan mata dengan cara yang berselorok sekaligus melanjutkan.
“Kami memulai perubahan struktural dasar dari hierarki kekuasaan Tentara Selatan. Kamu tahu apa artinya, kan?”
Pikiran Yuder tiba-tiba terganggu oleh wajah Sunz dan Emon.
“Benar. Itulah sebabnya unit Pasukan Khusus terbentuk.”
Jika pengkhianatnya memang ada di antara pasukan yang ada, lebih baik untuk menggantinya dengan pasukan yang benar-benar baru dan kuat, yang tidak dapat dicurigai.
Pasukan yang sebelumnya tidak dikenal, para prajurit junior yang berpotensi besar sebagai Awakeners, sempurna untuk peran ini.
“Ya. Temukanmu pada para Awakeners seperti Sunz dan Emon saat itu adalah langkah yang brilian.”
Tanpa itu, mungkin Kishiar tidak bisa menggunakan para Awakeners untuk mengganti Tentara Selatan dan harus serius mempertimbangkan untuk membiarkan Jenderal Gino pensiun.
Itu adalah hasil yang tidak disengaja namun efektif dari mengungkapkan keberadaan para Awakeners.
“Anyway, aku penasaran tentang siapa seseorang yang bisa berlalu di antara kita tak terdeteksi, bahkan meloloskan diri dari mata Gino dan kita... Setelah belajar tentang kompleksitas hubungan internal militer yang tersembunyi dari orang-orang di atas, rasanya kita akhirnya mulai membaca siapa mungkin pelakunya.”
“Tentu saja... Menjadi murid Jenderal Gino dan seorang Offiser Khusus, Galexentre Balfors pasti memiliki akses mudah ke informasi dan kebebasan bergerak. Partisipasinya yang terus-menerus dalam misi-misi reconisensi yang tampaknya tidak perlu juga menunjukkan ini.”
“Ya. Aku curiga kemampuannya yang aneh untuk mendeteksi serangan musuh bukanlah kebetulan. Dia pasti memanipulasi posisinya dengan cara mendapatkan pengakuan dari Gino atas kemampuannya, meskipun sebenarnya tidak layak.”
“Hmm... Kehidupan pribadinya yang berantakan namun kinerja kerja yang baik juga bisa menyimpulkan perhatian Jenderal Gino dan orang lain.”
“Apakah kamu pikir ia memicu serangan musuh?”
“Setelah berbincangan santai dengan Sunz dan mendengar lebih banyak hal yang ia lihat, aku pikir begitu.”
Kishiar menjawab dengan nada yakin.
“Sunz mungkin tidak menyadarinya, tapi tindakan Galexentre yang ia saksikan, bersama beberapa petunjuk, cocok sangat dengan beberapa kejadian mencurigakan yang telah kuditemukan selama investigasiku sebelumnya di sekitar lokasi pangkalan tentara,” merenungkan Kishiar.
Kelihatannya, apa yang awalnya terlihat seperti akhir yang santai ternyata jauh lebih signifikan.
“Sekarang, aku berencana untuk mendalami lebih dalam catatan dinas Balfors dan peristiwa yang terjadi di sekitar waktu itu. Memeriksa bagaimana catatan dinasnya berubah di sekitar hari-hari ketika kita mengunjungi sana bisa mengungkapkan beberapa hasil yang menarik.”
“Menambahkan investigasi Kavaleri ke dalamnya juga bisa mengamankan bukti yang tak bisa dibantah,” menambah Yuder.
“Ya, tentu, itu akan diperlukan,” setuju Kishiar sambil tersenyum.
“Ngomong-ngomong, kamu sudah selesai makan kue. Apakah ingin lagi?”
“Aku cukup...”
Sebelum Yuder bisa menyelesaikan responsnya, ia menyadari sebuah piring yang mengambang dan meluncur menuju padanya dari belakang, seolah-olah dibawa oleh kekuatan tak kasat.
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[BL] Langit Tanpa Awan
Jin Soram, pemburu peringkat pertama yang mewakili Pangkalan Manajemen Fenomena Celah Korea Selatan, lebih kuat dari siapa pun dan malas dari siapa pun pula. Sejak tiba di kantor, ia segera menyelimuti diri dengan selimut dan tertidur. Ketika ia terbang ke medan misi, ia sering menyebabkan kecelakaan dan kembali ke kantor, sering melarikan diri dari tugasnya.
“Apakah kamu tahu bagaimana rasanya bermain game yang sudah berantakan? ...Anyway, ronde berikutnya pasti akan datang, jadi kali ini, aku hanya akan memainkannya dengan ceroboh.”
Sebenarnya, identitas sebenarnya adalah seseorang yang telah melakukan regresi melalui tiga kehidupan, berusaha menyelamatkan dunia dari Celah Besar namun gagal setiap kali. Setelah mengulangi hidup di mana ia tidak bisa tidur nyenyak bahkan untuk sehari, ia sepenuhnya kelelahan sebelum kehidupan ini bahkan dimulai.
“Aku tahu. Kamu sudah berusaha keras, Jin Soram.”
Dan kemudian ada Han Tae-un, pria yang menyelamatkan Soram dan meninggal dalam ketiga kehidupan sebelumnya. Seperti yang ia lakukan dalam setiap kehidupan, ia kembali di sisi Soram sekali lagi. Celah Besar akan segera tiba. Mustahil untuk menyelesaikannya dalam kehidupan ini tanpa persiapan. Soram bersumpah untuk menyelamatkan Tae-un dalam kehidupan ini dan mati sendiri. Setidaknya, ia tidak akan membiarkan Tae-un menyelamatkan sesuatu seperti dirinya lagi.
“Untuk sekarang, hingga saat itu, mari kita tidur...”
Soram, yang acuh, hidupnya menunggu momen itu, perlahan-lahan ada perubahan di dalam hatinya.
“Kuduga ronde ini sudah berantakan... tapi aku ingin bertahan di sini sedikit lebih lama.”
[BL] Bermuda
Leonardo Blaine, pahlawan perang sejati dari Kekaisaran Raina Logia dan komandan Pasukan Armsilver ke-11, dihukum tidak terhormat karena melanggar perintah selama pertempuran terakhir yang bisa menghasilkan keuntungan bagi Kekaisaran dalam perang territorial. Orang-orang mengkritik dan menyalahkan dirinya, dan setelah dipublikasikan pada parole dari penjara, ia menghilang tanpa jejak.
Tiga tahun kemudian, namanya terlupakan oleh dunia. Dewan telah secara konsisten mengejarnya, tetapi ia terbukti sulit ditangkap. Frustrasi dengan hal ini, Hugo Agrizendro, komandan militer Dewan, memutuskan untuk menangkapnya secara pribadi.
“Sejak kapan kamu memantau aku?”
Leonardo kalkulatif dan cerdik, jadi tidak akan mengejutkan jika ia telah memantau Hugo selama ini. Namun, jawaban Leonardo adalah sesuatu yang bahkan tidak terduga oleh Hugo.
“Dari awal.”
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Chapter 803
"From what I've deduced, there's a very high possibility that Meghna Kurlieva and Galexentre Balfors shared a deeper, more personal relationship in the past than they do now."
Yuder's hand, which was habitually moving to cut the next piece, suddenly froze.
"...Are you saying that the rumor Sunz mentioned is true?"
"Yes. But their relationship isn’t the same now. And Balfors, that man..."
Kishiar placed his hand over Yuder's halted one, overlapping them, and chuckled softly.
"He's definitely a spy. I’m absolutely certain."
"A spy? How can you be so sure about that..."
"Shh. Just a moment."
Kishiar winked, pausing mid-sentence. His long fingers gracefully maneuvered Yuder's hand. After precisely cutting the cake into a bite-sized piece and bringing it to his lips, Kishiar finally removed his hand.
"Now, there's no need to be impatient. I'll continue explaining, don't worry."
Yuder began to chew the cake somewhat blandly, and Kishiar continued his explanation.
"Do you remember the mercenaries who died trying to steal the Red Stone during the previous retrieval operation?"
"Yes, I remember. I don't know who hired them, but they seemed very well-prepared."
"The client who orchestrated that mission had hired mercenaries who were somewhat fearless due to their Awakener powers, recruited from outside the country. He had enough inside information to easily breach the Southern Army's blockade around the mountains and send them to where the Red Stone was. Moreover, he took the precaution of making the mercenaries take oaths and even double oaths, showing meticulousness in case they were caught.”
"Yes, even though the discipline of the rank-and-file of the Southern Army was quite lax at that time, the fact that they were able to wait in the mountains for days without being detected is remarkable. At that time, the Emperor and I suspected that the person who commanded them must be someone inside the military, certainly a high-ranking individual."
"Does that mean... even General Gino was under suspicion?"
At Yuder's cautious question, Kishiar nodded without hesitation.
"Exactly. Why would General Gino be an exception? At that time, he failed to notice the breach in the Southern Army's blockade for days, nor could he accurately identify the mercenaries' traces and the evidence of who was behind them. From the standpoint of trust, it was difficult to be certain whether it was a mere mistake or a betrayal disguised as an error."
Yuder seemed to perceive a glimpse of the many challenges that Emperor Keilusa and Kishiar must have faced throughout their journey in that statement.
Although the situation warranted suspicion, the name Gino Bodelli was not to be taken lightly. He wasn't just any Southern Army general; he was a swordmaster respected across the Empire and the entire continent.
It would be risky to show suspicion towards someone who, without seeking any personal gain, had served the Emperor with utter loyalty and been an exemplary figure to his soldiers. Such a move could potentially alienate one of the few allies the Emperor had.
If a globally revered swordmaster and living legend like General Gino were to express his grievances and turn his back on the imperial family, it would be a welcome opportunity for the four major ducal families and the noble faction, who were hostile to the imperial family.
"So... what happened then?"
Yuder's eyes sharpened with the question. However, unlike the sharpness in his gaze, the lower part of his face, mechanically continuing to take bites of the cake, lacked his usual coldness.
Kishiar couldn't help but smile fondly at the scene before him.
"Well, as you can see from the fact that Gino is still fine, our own investigation concluded that Gino Bodelli himself is innocent. However, there's a strong possibility that someone under him might have betrayed us," he said.
Kishiar and Emperor Keilusa had surmised that this someone must have been close enough to General Gino to have known about the sudden Red Stone retrieval operation.
Yet, even after informing General Gino of this suspicion and thoroughly searching within the Southern Army, they couldn't find the traitor.
"Gino took it very hard. He probably even considered retiring because of it."
"If the traitor was one of the general's close aides, his retirement would have been the best way to shake them up," Yuder commented.
"Yes. Anyway, there were two implications for us. First, the traitor who passed information to the mercenaries was skilled enough to deceive even Gino's eyes. Second, it was too risky to keep such a person within our ranks. So, we..."
Kishiar winked playfully as he continued.
"We began a fundamental restructuring of the Southern Army's power hierarchy. You know what that means, right?"
Yuder's mind was suddenly struck by the faces of Sunz and Emon.
"That's right. That's why the Special Forces unit was formed."
If the traitor was indeed among the existing forces, it was better to replace them with a completely new and strong force that was above suspicion.
The previously unknown, lower-ranked soldiers who were talented Awakener soldiers with immense potential were perfect for the role.
"Yes. Your discovery of Awakener soldiers like Sunz and Emon back then was a brilliant move."
Without that, Kishiar might not have been able to use the Awakener soldiers to overhaul the Southern Army and would have had to seriously consider General Gino's retirement.
It was an unintended yet effective outcome of revealing the existence of the Awakener soldiers.
"Anyway, I've been curious about who could walk among us unnoticed, even evading the eyes of Gino and us... After learning the intricacies of the military's internal relationships, which are hidden from those at the top, it feels like we're finally getting a sense of who the culprit might be."
"Certainly... Being General Gino's disciple and a Special Officer, Galexentre Balfors would have had easy access to information and freedom of movement. His continuous participation in seemingly unnecessary reconnaissance missions also suggests this."
"Yes. I suspect his uncanny ability to detect enemy intrusions wasn't a coincidence. He must have played his cards to remain in that position by earning Gino's recognition for his abilities, despite not really deserving it."
"Hmm... His messy personal life but competent work performance could have also diverted General Gino and others' attention."
"Yes. Gino is an excellent General and swordsman, but he has a cold side where he shows little interest in those who don't meet his standards."
"Do you think he staged the enemy intrusions?"
"After having a casual chat with Sunz and hearing more about what he saw, I think so."
Kishiar answered with a tone of conviction.
"Sunz might not have realized it, but the actions of Galexentre he witnessed, along with several traces, matched remarkably with some suspicious occurrences I had discovered during my previous investigation around the military base's location," Kishiar mused.
It seemed that what was initially thought to be a casual end to the story turned out to be far more significant.
"Now, I plan to delve deeper into Balfors's service records and the events that occurred around that time. Examining how his service record changed around the days we visited there might reveal some interesting results."
"Adding the Cavalry's investigation to that could secure irrefutable evidence," Yuder added.
"Yes, of course, that will be necessary," Kishiar agreed with a smile.
"By the way, you've already finished your piece. Would you like another?"
"I’m fine..."
Before Yuder could even complete his response, he noticed a plate smoothly floating and gliding towards him from behind, as if carried by an unseen force.
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[BL] Cloudless Sky
Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.
"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."
In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.
"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."
And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.
"For now, until then, let's sleep..."
As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.
'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'
[BL] Bermuda
Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.
Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.
"Since when have you been watching me?"
Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.
"From the very beginning."
[BL] The Mist (Same author as Turning)
In the autumn of his 18th year, after winning the high school kendo championship finals, an unexpected accident occurred.
Due to that incident, Kang Mu-heon lost one of his legs, his closest friend, and his promising future. He closed off his heart and shut himself away alone.
A few years later, the world's first real virtual reality game <THE MIST> was announced, where even those with physical disabilities could play in healthy bodies.
By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....
***
"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"
Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.
He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.
Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—
Screech!
Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.
And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......
***
[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]
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